Championship teams aren't built by stars alone. We've seen this yearly from the Baltimore Ravens and each of the other 31 franchises. For every Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton, or Roquan Smith, there's another player whose importance only becomes obvious when he's asked to shoulder a larger workload.
Those players rarely dominate headlines, but they often determine whether talented rosters reach their potential. Broderick Washington could become one such player for the Ravens in 2026.
After missing most of last season while recovering from a torn Achilles, he enters training camp healthy and with an opportunity to reclaim a key role along Baltimore's defensive front. It's a position that may carry more significance than many realize.
The Ravens have ***** embled one of the NFL's most talented defenses. The defensive line, however, may still carry questions.
In 2025, Washington missed all but three games due to injury and was in the starting lineup only once. Nnamdi Madubuike was lost after September when it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to a neck injury. This past April, he had neck surgery, and the hope is that he will be able to play in the 2026 season.